The US Air Force (USAF) has for the first time revealed its acquisition target for a new sixth-generation fighter.
The service plans to field at least 185 of the new Boeing F-47 air superiority jets, which are intended to replace the venerable but ageing Lockheed Martin F-22 stealth fighters.
Air force chief of staff General David Allvin revealed the fleet target on 13 May in a post to social media site X.
In addition to the procurement figure, Allvin also detailed several performance metrics for the F-47, including an unrefuelled combat radius of 1,000nm (1,850km) and a top speed of Mach 2.
The F-22 can also reach M2, but with a much smaller combat radius of 590nm.
“Modernisation means fielding a collection of assets that provide unique dilemmas for adversaries,” Allvin says, “while keeping us on the right side of the cost curve.”
Allvin also reveals that the new FQ-family of uncrewed fighter jets under development for the USAF will boast a combat radius of 700nm.
Anduril and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are both preparing to test competitive prototypes, designated the YFQ-44A and YFQ-42A respectively, that are competing to provide more than 1,000 units to back up the new F-47 fleet.
The acquisition goal for the Next Generation Air Dominance programme that spawned the F-47 has been a matter of speculation for some time. The new jet is expected to be significantly more expensive than existing fighter platforms.
Former air force secretary Frank Kendall revealed in 2024 the two competitive prototypes under consideration would each cost the equivalent of multiple Lockheed F-35A fighters, which carry a price tag of roughly $80 million.
The air force procured a similar number of F-22s, with the high cost of that pioneering aircraft ultimately limiting the fleet size to just 188 examples – a significant reduction from early plans to field as many as 750.
The F-47’s estimated price of $200-300 million each is closer to the cost of the USAF’s new Northrop Grumman B-21 stealth bomber than to the price of traditional fighters.
Each B-21 is contractually limited to a price of $550 million in 2010 values, which is $809 million in 2025 dollars.
